Can a Welsh legend, born in the 15th century, still be relevant in the 21st century?“I have walked this world for 410 years, with 170 years having passed since I assumed the role of Alpha of the Cŵn Annwn. In that time, I have seen the world change dramatically from an agrarian society to one where common words include terms like ‘global warming’ due to the pollution levels engendered by … by mankind’s activities in less than a couple of centuries. I have found my Mate, I have lost close family, and throughout, I have remained true to my promise to my Goddess.”
“I harvest souls.”
“My duty lies with my Goddess, who has tasked me with bringing her the souls of evil-doers. Strange how they seem a tad reluctant to pay for their evil. But there is more to my role than that. For all the evil in the world, there are innocents, and as the gatekeeper to the Underworld, not the Hell that modern religions would suggest, but a place of rest, my Goddess has charged me to bring those for whom a reward for their suffering is due. For them, there is the choice of rest, or rebirth. Most choose rest, and paradise for each is different.”
“I was born Gabriel Black, although for the last few centuries, I have been known as Gavril Negrescu. These are our tales of my Mate and my Pack, our sorrows and our triumphs. Perhaps one day, evil will be no more. I am not holding my breath.”
“Alpha” is the first volume in “The Diaries of the Cwn Annwn” series and may be read as a stand-alone novel. Gavril and his Mate must lead their Pack through an ever changing world. Has mankind evolved enough that they are no longer needed?
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Gavril is a Cwn Annwn. His job is to harvest souls, and he travels to do just that. He’s not prepared to find his mate, but when he does, it’s not long before they have a child. Their world gets caught up in that of Nazi Germany. In the war, many lives are lost, and it’s up to the Cwn Annwn to save people from a cruel fate at the hands of war criminals.
Fantastic concept wrapped up with beautiful landscapes and relatable characters. There’s plenty of action in this story too. I’m not usually one for historical fiction, but this story was different. I thought the touch of paranormal was especially unique, and it pulled me into the story. I also liked the way the author realistically portrayed emotions. I hate instanta love, so I was happy to see that this wasn’t one of those stories.
Gavril approached his mate with the same sense of level-headedness that he did every other challenge. And it was refreshing to see the way that he and his mate gradually grew into a state of bliss with one another.
The writing style also made it easy to get lost within this story. I’m happy to see this is the first book to the series. That means more to come!
This is a book of two halves. The first half is set during the second world war. Having recently got into an author who writes romance stories set during this period, I really enjoyed that part of the book. The author has done a great job of making it feel authentic, despite the main characters being supernatural. She has combined fantasy with historical fiction well. It is easy to believe that some of the scenes really did happen to normal human families.
The second half follows the main characters through major events from the end of the war and into modern times. I particularly liked the fact that she chose events from a number of different countries. There are parts where I’m not sure why they are there as they don’t seem to fit in with the story, but I am guessing they are setting things up for book 2.
Despite the fact that this book needs proper editing, it’s an enjoyable read and I look forward to reading the next one.
Before I began Alpha, I’d never heard of the Cŵn Annwn. Looking at a legend, though, as though it is real life inevitably produces a view entirely different from the impression one gets of a legend.
Alpha, other than a gratuitous (and erroneous) descent into politics and sexual relationships, is a well-paced story of a colony of shifters forced to move several times while caring for the humans and the souls of humans – a superhuman task indeed. It doesn’t wrap up many of the story lines in it, but that just leaves the reader eager for the next book.
A great and wonderfully written story that weaves the paranormal into the annuals of history. The story centers around Gavril, an immortal known as a Cwn Annwn, whose job as the pack alpha of wolf shifters is to harvest the souls of evil people. During his time in Carpathian mountain region, he finds his mate and they have a child quickly. As time goes on, WWII breaks out, many lives are lost, especially children. While reading, you learn of the different kinds of Cwn Annwn as they save others from the Nazis and the pack ends up in the Catskills area.There’s plenty action and drama and romance that will keep you turning the pages just to see what happens next. I have read several other books in this series so it was nice to see how Jo built this fantasy from the beginning. I highly recommend this one!
What a fabulous tale! Completely hooked me with the way the author adds layers and layers to the story, interweaving legend with the modern world. Nice writing style and great scene descriptions. The characters really grow on you as they lead you through this epic adventure. Loved the romance of it all and will be reading the rest of the series.
Alpha is a wonderful time travel through the eyes of it’s main character, Gavril. I thoroughly enjoyed the interesting mix of world history and welsh legends. The love story very well may be my favorite part. Alpha is a well written, can’t put it down story with a surprising ending. I look forward to reading the next book.